From New York to Los Angeles and many cities in between, protesters are on the streets to denounce a Missouri grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson.

A day after the country learned there would be no criminal charges against Wilson for killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown, protests sprouted up in more than 170 U.S. cities immediately.

Few demonstrations blocked bridges, tunnels and major highways. But unlike the violence that erupted in Ferguson on Monday night, the protests across the country Tuesday night were largely symbolic.

New York

Hundreds of people marched through Times Square, shutting down traffic on 7th Avenue -- one of the city's busiest streets leading to financial slump.

Some demonstrators also directed their anger at New York police spontaneously.

Protesters shut down lanes of the FDR, or Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive. "Mike Brown! Mike Brown!" they chanted in anguish.

Several long lines of protesters marched their way through the city. Police, who were nearby in large numbers, stayed back and let the marchers go peacefully.

Protesters also flooded onto a parkway in New York City, with police walking alongside that demonstrations. No major confrontations there could be observed.

Peaceful but very vocal protesters were marching through the west side of Manhattan toward Harlem.

Los Angeles

Protesters have arrived outside of the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters. Protesters are demonstrating peacefully. "We have detained people. We don't have any property damage to speak of," Police said. "We are letting (the people) exercise their constitutional rights -- and so far so good." No one will be allowed on the freeways.

Boston

Mayor Marty Walsh estimated about 1,000 protesters took to the streets on Tuesday night.

The gathering has been largely peaceful.

Washington

In Washington, protesters lay down on a sidewalk outside police headquarters as if dead. Some had handwritten notes on their chests: "Black lives matter."

Minneapolis

A woman in a group blocking an intersection was run over by a car. Nothing major impact.

"Fight the Power," the rapper's voice shouted over the speaker. "Fight the powers that be. ..."

The Public Enemy anthem pumping from mounted speakers at a protest in downtown Atlanta captured the mood of the crowd Tuesday night.

As helicopters circled in sky, black college students, white urban hipsters in skinny jeans, middle-aged socialists and black militants in berets gathered for a raucous rally to vent their anger at the events in Ferguson.

"They have given us no justice! We will give them no peace," the demonstrators chanted at they massed in front of the Underground Atlanta shopping district in anger.

The shooting of Michael Brown occurred on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown, an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a white police officer. The disputed circumstances of the shooting and the resultant protests and civil unrest received considerable attention in the United States and abroad, and have sparked debate about Use of Force Doctrine in Missouri. Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson were walking down the middle of the street when Wilson drove up and told them to move to the sidewalk. Brown and Wilson struggled through the window of the police vehicle until Wilson's gun was fired as a result of the struggle. Brown and Johnson then fled in different directions, with Wilson in pursuit of Brown. Wilson shot Brown six times, killing him. Witness reports differ as to whether and when Brown had his hands raised, and whether he was moving toward Wilson, when the final shots were fired. The shooting sparked protests and unrest in Ferguson, in part due to the belief among many that Brown was surrendering, as well as longstanding racial tensions between the majority-black Ferguson community and the majority-white city government and police. Protests, both peaceful and violent, along with vandalism and looting, continued for more than a week, resulting in night curfews. The response of area police agencies in dealing with the protests received significant criticism from the media and politicians. There were concerns over insensitivity, tactics and a militarized response. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered local police organizations to cede much of their authority to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Mainly peaceful protests continued for several weeks. A few days after the shooting, the Ferguson Police Department released a video of a convenience store robbery that occurred only minutes before the shooting. It showed Brown taking cigarillos and shoving a store employee who tried to prevent him from leaving. The timing of the video release received criticism from some media, the Brown family, and some public officials, who viewed the release as an attempt to impeach Brown. Others said the video was informative as to Brown's state of mind, with the shooting incident coming so shortly after the robbery. There is conflicting evidence as to whether Officer Wilson knew of Brown's involvement in the robbery.